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The first consequence of evil Adam and Eve experienced was a sense of guilt and shame. They were ashamed and hid. Instead of becoming like God, as the Serpent had told them, they became different from and distant from God.

Shame is a natural by-product of guilt. Our society has tried to recondition people and remove shame and guilt but it is not possible because we are programmed to desire unity with our Creator. Distance from God makes us uneasy.

The ultimate end result of evil is death. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, death would not have been introduced into the world. Since that time we all find ourselves living a life that is out of harmony with God.

When Adam and Eve sinned God removed them from paradise. He told them that life would be difficult. They would continue to strive against the cunning of Satan, the deceiver. But he also promised that one day Satan would be crushed under their feet. This was a prophetic word concerning the coming of Christ.

In the Old Testament we have numerous stories of how men and women encountered God. Some of them chose to obey him in faith and did great exploits. Others sank into deeper and deeper degradation. The Bible does not white-wash sin. God did not edit the bad parts out of the Scriptures.

Evil robs, kills and destroys. Christ offers the alternative–life, hope and peace with God. But don’t be fooled into thinking that by becoming a Christian a person is taken out of the battle against evil. The Christian can be identified as the one who is on God’s side in the fight against evil.

According to Genesis, mankind was created perfect in every way, even in his thoughts. But humans were endowed with the ability to desire. Misdirected desire can cause us to sin.

Adam and Eve had no understanding of evil. It was the unknown and the unexperienced and this made it mysterious and intriguing. Satan, in the form of a serpent, dangled the knowledge of evil before them.

Satan also introduced the notion of being “like God.” Remember that Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. They may never have thought of themselves as anything but “like God.” However Satan, the serpent, twisted the truth to his advantage.

Satan made them consider for the first time the possibility that they were ignorant and incomplete. He insinuated that God was holding out on them, that they were missing something.

He also made himself look like an authority. He implied that he had something more to offer than God when in reality all he was doing was subtracting from all that was God. He was introducing deficiency.

The serpent deceived Adam and Eve. He had nothing to offer that God had not already given. All he could offer was the experience of something less than godliness. Their sudden self-doubt and their doubt of God made them vulnerable. They had no experience with recognizing or resisting temptation. Their desire became overwhelming and they decided to accept Satan’s lies in place of God. That was the evil. It wasn’t the apple.

As you read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, you will find accounts of God’s judgement. The first one is the flood of the earth destroying everyone and saving only Noah and his family in an ark.

Why would God do this? The Bible is pretty clear that it is because of the wickedness of the people. If you read through to the end of the Bible you will find many more places where God destroyed people who were bent on doing evil. He even brought enemy forces against his own chosen nation, the descendants of Abraham, when they turned from him and served idols.

Is this consistent with our concept of a loving God who is for us? Maybe not. But notice, I said, “consistent with our concept.” We say love shouldn’t do that. It makes us fearful. What if I mess up in some way? What will happen to me? Will God be angry with me and destroy me?

This is a heavy topic, but an important one. Why would I want to serve a God who becomes angry and destroys people? Some people try and solve this problem by ignoring the Old Testament, saying either that it is not true, or that it is irrelevant after Jesus came. I don’t think it’s that simple.

I’ll share with you my take on this, and you can think about it and agree or disagree. Try and picture God creating a perfect universe. Imagine you were God. You sculpted these creatures to rule your universe. You breathed life into them. You gave them everything they needed but they turned against you. Do you feel a little put out? A little angry?

I think the part that is difficult to understand is not that God destroys those who turn against him, but that he continues to endure this insolent behaviour through the millennia. There is something within his creation that is so precious and dear to him, that he keeps on searching for those few who will love him. Apparently it is worth enduring all the evil just for this.

Jesus, like Adam and Eve when they were first created, was perfect and did not sin. God was pleased with him and ultimately death could not keep him in the grave. Had Adam and Eve not sinned, they would not have died. Think of it. Their children would not have died. Generations to follow would not have died. It would have been heaven on earth, literally, with no sin and death.

This was God’s will for his creation in the beginning and it is still his will. Something has changed between the Old Testament and the New Testament, but it is not the character of God, as some people would like us to believe. What has changed is that God showed us that love is stronger than war. Laying down our lives is more effective than killing. And God set the example.